A complaint that sprang from one neighborhood association has grown into a coordinated effort to pull down a subtle sign of crime — shoes on a wire.

Tatemville residents complained that tennis shoes hanging from power lines were creating a negative image for their neighborhood.

They have been redoubling efforts to fight crime and blight since the November Coastal Empire Fairground shooting that injured eight people, and they were bothered by the shoes, which are a common calling card to signal that drugs can be bought nearby.

Savannah-Chatham police in late January coordinated with Georgia Power to get the shoes removed. They may have started in Tatemville, but over the course of two days, they worked across much of the Central Precinct, concentrating in the midtown area near Le Grand Street.

More than 200 pairs of shoes were removed.

“It was a quality of life issue that was bothering members of the public, and it was important that it be addressed,” Capt. DeVonn Adams said.

Adams discussed the effort during a briefing of precinct efforts at Thursday’s City Council meeting. District 5 Alderwoman Estella Shabazz, who represents the Tatemville community, credited police for the quick turnaround in responding and believes it sends warning to troublemakers.

“It is putting notice on these folks who are throwing shoes over these wires that we are not going to tolerate these continuous drug activities and gang activities in our precinct,” she said.

Georgia Power doesn’t track how often it removes shoes, but district officials recalled that this larger removal was handled as part of a scheduled maintenance project in the area, said Brian Green, a company spokesman.

As linemen work on smaller jobs, they will remove shoes as they encounter them, he said.

REPORT CRIME ONLINE

City of Savannah residents have two ways to report non-emergency criminal activity online.

The city’s 311 service, which can be accessed by phone, also has an online request, which can be accessed from the city’s main website, www.savannahga.gov

Click on the button and you can fill out a service request to report shoes on utility lines, graffiti or similar problems.Residents who want to report suspicious activity can share it with police at iwatchsavannah.com. The website allows users to upload pictures and video, which officers can review. Users are asked for contact information so police can request more information if needed.

If you are witnessing a crime in progress or emergency situations, those are situations to call 911, police advise.